บท 10: Downtime

After the tense encounter with Batman, I took stock of the situation. Crossing paths with Gotham's legendary vigilante presented an opportunity - Batman had connections and resources we could potentially utilize if I played things right.

Hearing the police sirens in the distance I decided to return to our hideout. Using the cover of darkness, I leaped from rooftop to rooftop.

Suddenly, my instincts flared - I sensed the threat milliseconds before it came. I dove to the side as a bullet whistled past, right where my head had been. Rolling back to my feet, I scanned the rooftops for the source.

There, on a ledge - a figure garbed in a distinctive red and white full-body suit, wrist-mounted guns trained on me. Even through the mask, I could feel the cold precision of that gaze locking onto me. Deadshot.

More high-caliber rounds split the air, forcing me into move. I weaved and leaped acrobatically, avoiding the barrage. Deadshot tracked me relentlessly, with a never ending torrent of bullets never letting up.

I managed to produce a rune for shielding Algiz to deflect the shots allowing me to return fire with a few shuriken. But Deadshot casually tilted his head, the projectiles grazing his helmet harmlessly.

Seeing my shuriken avoided, I knew I had to get in close if I wanted to take down Deadshot. Dashing forward at inhuman speed I traced another Algizin the air. The protective barrier formed just in time to block Deadshot's latest round of bullets.

With the shield covering my advance, I charged straight at the assassin. I pushed off the ground with a flip as the bullets split the air beneath me. Landing right in front of him, I lashed out with a perfectly aimed palm strike that impacted square against his armored chest plate.

The force of the blow threw Deadshot backward. Not wasting the opportunity, I moved in and pressed a nerve cluster on his wrist, disabling one of the guns.

Deadshot's remaining arm came up, but I batted it aside with my hand before he could fire. Off-balance, I smashed my elbow into his helmet, cracking his visor.

Staggering back, Deadshot reached for a knife. But I swiftly kicked it from his grip.

"Who sent you?" I demanded, as Deadshot clutched his wrist in pain, his cracked visor peering up at me.

"As if I'd tell you," he spat back defiantly.

I slammed my foot down on his disabled wrist, eliciting a pained grunt from the assassin. "I won't ask nicely again. Who hired you?"

Deadshot let out a dark chuckle. "Doesn't matter, I never reveal my clients. But you've made some dangerous enemies, kid."

I narrowed my eyes, then delivered a precise nerve strike to his shoulder, causing his arm to go limp. I knelt down, grasping his chin tightly.

"You came after the wrong target tonight. And unless you want to leave here missing some limbs, you'll give me a name." My tone was cold and uncompromising.

Deadshot weighed his options before finally speaking. "Fine. Some bigshot businessman hired me to take out a mysterious new player interfering with the underworld. Guess that's you."

I processed this new information carefully. A wealthy benefactor of organized crime saw us as enough of a threat to employ an elite assassin. Interesting.

Deadshot laughed mockingly. "You're in over your head, kid. Gotham's vicious - it'll chew you up and spit you out if you keep this up."

I slammed a fist into his jaw, knocking Deadshot unconscious. "We'll see about that," I muttered as I bound him tightly.

Once I delivered Deadshot to the police I returned home. As I entered the living room, Artoria, Scathach, and Katou materialized.

"As expected I knew that hitman was no match for you." Katou praised.

"I knew you could defeat him!" Artoria cheered.

Scáthach gave an approving nod. "Well done, Your progress is impressive."

"Thanks, everyone, but currently I'm more focused on what Batman said," I said.

"He mentioned joining a team. Was he talking 'that' team you told us about before?" Scathach asked.

"I assume so," I responded weighing the pros and cons of the situation. On one hand, it would let me have more opportunities to stop The Light from achieving its goals as well as getting access to more catalysts. While on the other hand, it will also force me to reveal at least some of my abilities.

"What will you do?" Katou questioned.

"Well, what do you guys think?" I asked back looking at each of them, curious to hear their perspectives on potentially joining forces with Batman and his covert team.

Scáthach spoke first. "While risky, allying with them could prove advantageous. Access to resources and intelligence would aid our own efforts greatly."

Katou gave a thoughtful nod. "Yes, but we must be careful about what secrets we choose to share. Revealing too much could make us vulnerable."

"I want to fight stronger villains and show everyone the real power of a Saber," Artoria said smiling eagerly.

I just shook my head at Artoria's antics. Crossing my arms, I considered their counsel carefully. "You all make excellent points. An alliance could be very beneficial, but we need to be selective about what we divulge."

I began pacing as I thought it over. "Here's what I'm thinking - I'll take Batman up on working together, but keep the specifics about my powers vague."

The others voiced their agreement with this cautious approach. With their wise input, I felt ready to engage with Batman again.

"Alright, it's decided. I'll wait for Batman to come to me. In the meantime tomorrow will be an off day, we'll resume operations the following day." I said with a smile.

Looking at their faces they each showed varying degrees of surprise. "Well we've been working hard nonstop for two months now I think we deserve a break, think of it as a welcoming for our newest member."

My Servants looked surprised but pleased when I announced we would be taking a day off. Even the usually serious Scáthach and Katou seemed to welcome the respite.

...

The next day we ventured into Gotham City, dressed in casual modern clothes to better blend in. Our first stop was the mall, much to an excited Artoria's delight. Once inside her eyes lit up when she spotted an arcade.

"Oh, what wondrous devices! Please, can we try the video games Eli? I've always wanted to play those?"

I smiled and handed out cards loaded with tokens. "Of course, let's see who can get the highest score."

With that said we proceeded to play while confused at first their superhuman reflexes ensured they excelled at every game. Artoria cheered excitedly as she blasted away at pixilated aliens, her reflexes allowing her to rack up high scores with ease.

Meanwhile, Katou moved with precision as she danced across the flashing arrows of the dance machine, hitting every beat perfectly. A small crowd gathered, impressed by the shy girl's skill.

Scáthach remained focused amidst the chaos, maneuvering her race car through sharp turns and barely edging Artoria out for first place. She allowed herself a subtle smile at her victory.

Eventually, I won enough tickets to redeem some prizes. I gave each servant a memento - Katou happily accepted a stuffed cat, Artoria grinned when I handed her a toy lightsaber, and Scáthach raised an eyebrow at the training weights I handed her but nodded in approval.

It was then that Artoria's stomach rumbled loudly. Instead of acting embarrassed, she shouted. "Let's get some burgers!"

It didn't seem like anyone had any objections, so we made our way to the food court. Once we ordered and sat down, Artoria proceeded to rapidly devour a dozen stacked burgers and a bucket of fries by herself. I watched as she ate barely pausing between bites, mayo and ketchup smeared across her cheeks as she ate. The staff looked on, mouths agape at the girl's bottomless appetite.

Even Scáthach decided to eat something though at a more measured pace, neatly cutting her burger into bite-sized pieces.

When Artoria was finally done I handed her a napkin so she could wipe her face. Afterward, we did some shopping. Artoria and Katou eagerly went from rack to rack, pulling out various items that caught their eye.

Artoria grabbed armfuls of colorful clothes, drawn to bright, eye-catching styles. I could hear her talking to herself from where I stood "Ooh, how about this flowery blouse? And this ruffled skirt is simply adorable!" she exclaimed as she continued gathering more and more clothes.

Meanwhile, Katou favored more muted tones and practical pieces, like soft turtlenecks and sleek athletic wear. But I noticed her gaze linger on a pastel purple sundress displayed on a mannequin. When I suggested she try it, the shy smile that touched her lips was reward enough.

In the dressing rooms, Artoria twirled and posed, having fun trying on each new look. "Ah, I feel like an idol from one of those musical programs," she said laughing making me smile.

Katou was more bashful modeling her selections, but the subtle red in her cheeks showed she enjoyed playing dress-up too in her own quiet way.

Scáthach watched it all with a hint of amusement. Though wary of the crowd, she indulged me by trying on a fitted biker jacket. Giving a look in the mirror, she nodded in approval at the sleek black leather.

When we finally went to the register, the staff's eyes went wide as she rang up the small mountain of clothes the girls had picked out. But seeing their faces, I didn't mind indulging them in some retail therapy.

By the end of the day, we were loaded with shopping bags full of various things we'd bought. While I knew our missions were important it was also important to carve out some time just to have some fun.